Hinge assembly



Feb. 5, 1957 A. J. BRAUN HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed March lO, 1951 IN VEN TOR.@am

United States Patent O 2,779,967 HINGE ASSEMBLY August John Braun,Chicago, lll.

Application March 10, 1951, Serial No. 214,981

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-163) This invention relates to improvements in a hingeassembly.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a hinge assemblyof type which is concealed from view when the parts to which the hingeassembly is applied are in closed position relative to the stationarystructure on which said parts have swinging movement.

It is a further object to provide such a hinge assembly which isoperative to maintain the swinging part in either limit position ofmovement.

It is a still further object to provide a device of this character whichis adapted for many purposes and at the same time very strong anddurable, and simple and economical both in the matter of material andassembly.

Further objects pertaining to details and economies of this inventionwill appear from the description to follow.

A hinge assembly embodying the features of this invention is clearlyillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the hinge assembly as it wouldappear when viewed in a direction edgewise of a door when the latter isheld in closed position under control of the hinge assembly.

Fig. 2 is a similar view as the device would appear when the door is inopen position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

A hinge assembly embodying the features of the present invention isshown herein as applied to a door and a stationary wall part on whichthe door is supported for swinging movement toward and away from aclosed position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, represents such a stationarywall part having an edge portion 11 adapted to be overlapped by the lipof a door 12. Secured to the wall part 10 by means of suitable fasteningmeans such as a screw 13 is a base plate 14. A shaft or pin mountedalong the edge of the base plate 14 parallel to the edge portion 11 ofthe stationary wall part 10 provides a pivot to be referred tohereinafter. The plate 14 at its edge directly opposite the pivot pin 15is bent angularly to the plate to provide an extension 16 which is bentangularly inwardly at its outer end to provide an arm 17 in spacedopposed relation to the plate 14.

The door 12 is supported for swinging movement about the pivot pin 1S bymeans of a lever comprising a plate bent to provide an arm or innersection 18, a second arm or intermediate section 19 which diverges fromthe inner section 18, and a third arm or outer section 20. The door 12is mounted on the outer section 20 by suitable fastening means such as ascrew 21. It will be observed that the inner section 18 is of suchradial length as to clear the arm 17 on the base plate 14 when the leveris swung about the pivot pin 1S toward the eXtension 16 of the baseplate 14 as shown in Fig. 3. It will also be observed from Fig. 4 thatthe intermediate CFI 2,779,967 rammed Feb. 5, 1957 "ice section 19 ofthe lever is arranged at: a distance suiciently away from the pivot pin15 to accommodate swinging motion of the door 12 mounted on the outersection 20 of the lever into a position in excess of 90 degrees awayfrom the closed position shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, as well as Fig. l, the inner section 18 and theintermediate section 19 ot the lever is notched approximately centrallyof its radial edges, which notch presents a transverse edge portion 22in spaced parallel relation to the pivot pin 15 near the end of theinner section 18 at said pivot pin. This edge portion 22 is dividedmidway of its length to provide a pair of beads curled in the directionaway from the portion of the lever extending therefrom, which beads formbearings for a pivot pin 23.

A bolt 24 having an eye or loop 25 at one end thereof, which eye ispenetrated by the pivot pin 23, and having a threaded portion at itsopposite end, as at 26, which threaded end projects through an opening27 in the arm 17 of the plate 14 substantially directly opposite thepivot pin 15, provides a link connecting the lever with the arm 17 ofthe plate 14. The threaded end 26 of the bolt 24 is equipped with asuitable nut 28 which engages the outer surface of the arm 17 about theopening 27 to adjustably limit the swinging movement of the lever aboutthe pivot 15 in the direction of the outer section of the lever. As willbe noted from Fig. 3, the inwardly facing surface of the extension 16 ofthe base plate 14, presents a suitable stop for limiting the swingingmovement of the lever in a direction away from the outer section of thelever.

In connection with movement of the door 12 between the closed positionshown in Fig. 3 and the open position shown in Fig. 4, the inner section18 of the lever is operated to shift the pivot pin 23 through a deadcenter position defined by a plane radially of the pivot pin 15 andcoincident with the longitudinal axis of the bolt 24 where the latterengages the edges of the opening 27 in the arm 17. A coil spring 29surrounding the portion of the bolt between the lever and the arrn 17,and acting between the pivot pin 23 and the surface of the arm 17 aboutthe bolt receiving opening 27, accordingly is adapted to yieldably forcethe inner section 18 of the lever away from said dead center position ofthe pivot pin 23 and toward the limit position of movement of the innersection 18 of the lever in the direction in which the pivot pin 23 islocated away from said dead center position. Thus the spring 29 acts toforce the lever toward a position to maintain the door 12 in openposition when the pivot pin 23 is away from dead center position in thedirection of the door 12 as in Fig. 4 whereas the spring forces thelever toward a position to maintain the door closed when the pivot pin23 is away from dead center position in a direction away from the door12 as in Fig. 3.

To eliminate binding action between the inner surface of the arm 17about the bolt receiving opening 27, incident to movement of the bolt insaid opening, and the spring portion engageable therewith, the surfaceabout the opening is preferably domed as at 36.

l claim:

l. A hinge assembly comprising in combination a base plate havingpivoting means along one edge thereof and an extension projectingangularly from its opposite edge,

" an arm in spaced opposed relation and joined to said base plate viasaid extension, a lever having swinging movement about said pivotingmeans as an axis, said lever having an inner section of such length asto clear said arm on the base plate and having an outer sectionconnected to said inner section by an intermediate section whereby saidouter section is positioned substantially degrees apart from said innersection, said outer section and vall portions of said intermediatesection being spaced from said pivotal means a distance at least equalto the distance between said pivotal means and the remote end of theinner section of the lever,` a link havingone end connected-to a portionof' the leveraway from'said pivotal means for relative pivotal movementabout an axis parallel to'the axis of swinging movement of the lever,said arm on the base plate having'an opening'througli which the otherend of said link projects for relative lengthwise sliding movement ofsaid link therein whereby swinging movement of the lever toward and awayfrom a position between'said base plate and theA arm on the base plateoperates to shift the axis 'of pivotal movement of the link relative tothe lever through a dead center position dened by a plane extendingradially'of the lever pivoting means and coincident with the position ofthe longitudinal axis of the link within said opening in the arm on thebase plate, means operable to limit movement ofthe lever inone'direction away from a position wherein the axis of pivotaly movementof the'link relative to the lever is in said dead center positionincluding a nut having threaded connection with the portion of the linkprojecting through said opening in the arm on the base plate andengaging the surface of' the latter about said opening opposite thesurface of the arm facing the base plate when the lever is in one of itslimits of swinging movement, and means operative to yieldably urge thelever toward its limits of swinging movement in the direction in whichthe axis of pivotal movement of the link is displaced away from saiddead center position.

2. A hinge assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the aforesaidmeans operative to yieldably urge the level toward its limits ofswinging movement includes a spring acting between the connection of thelink with the lever and the surface of the arm about said opening facingthe base plate.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 920,605Miller May 4, 1909 1,340,866 Witter May 18, 1920 2,063,407 Smith Dec. 8,1936 2,145,674 Visser Ian. 31, 1939 2,194,287 Marsh Mar. 19, 19402,244,168 Miller .lune 3, 1941 2,279,992 Jackson Apr. 14, 19,422,578,610 Stone Dec. 11, 1951 2,617,144 Stearns Nov. 1l, 1952 2,623,236Borchers et al Dec. 30, 1952

